Wilma Rudolph: The Chattanooga Choo Choo

Wilma Rudolph was not a newcomer to Olympic competition, having won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100-metre relay at the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Australia. Yet it was her performance on the track at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome that endeared her to fans worldwide. Rudolph combined great athletic ability with a charming personality and an impressive story of triumph over physical disability.

Illnesses as a child had left her without the use of her left leg. Through therapy, the support of her family, and her own desire to succeed, Rudolph regained the use of her leg and then surpassed all expectations to become a star high-school basketball player. She became pregnant in 1958, sidelining her athletic career for a year. When she resumed competing, she emerged as a leading member of the Tigerbelles, the competitive Tennessee State University track-and-field team. Rudolph qualified for the 1960 Olympic team without difficulty, setting a world record in the 200 metres during the trials.

At the Games it seemed that physical ailments might again hinder Rudolph, as she sprained her ankle in a practice session just one day before her qualifying heat for the 100 metres. Running with the injury, she managed to win the gold medal by a wide margin and a record time of 11.0 seconds. Rudolph’s domination continued in the 200 metres, where again she took the gold with an Olympic record-setting time. Her third gold came in the 4 × 100-metre relay, in which she anchored a team made up of runners from Tennessee State University. The team lost a large lead due to a weak baton pass, but Rudolph was able to regain the lost ground and win the race. With the victory of the relay team, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track. European and American journalists alike sang the praises of the fastest woman in the world, and they coined numerous nicknames for the track star, from the “Black Gazelle” (Rudolph is African American) to the “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (in reference to her Tennessee roots).